Improvement in railway-train brakes



n. T. PERKINS.

Railway-Train Brakes.

N0. 133,335, Patented Nov.26,1872.

whims? U 1 1 12mm [/77 ,to show my invention and its application to a longitudinal section of a portion of the axle gibs or friction-pieces,

the channel of the other disk, and a circular UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

- DUANE T. PERKINS, OF SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOB OF ONE-HALF HIS RIGHT TO WM. L. WASHBURN, OF BROOKLYN, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN RAILWAY-TRAIN BRAKES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 133,336, dated November 26, 1872.

To all whom it may concern: o

Be it known that I, DUANE T. PERKINS, of Springfield, in the county of Hampden and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Railway Train Brakes; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawing making a part of this specification and to the letters of reference marked thereon, in which Figure 1 represents a reverse plan view of so much of a railway ear, with the axle and wheels of a locomotive-tender, as is necessary use. Fig. 2 represents the inside view of one of the circular plates or disks which holds the friction device together, showing the position of the gibs or friction-pieces, and the spring which holds them in such position. Fig. 3 is of the tender with the friction device attached thereto. Fig. 4 represents the method of securing the circular plates or disks to the axle, by making it in halves with flanges, and bolted together. Fig. 5 is a plan view of one of the gibs or friction-pieces. Fig. 6 is a side view of the same, and Fig. 7 is a side view of the equalizing-lever attached to the bottom of the car.

My invention relates to a device to be attached to the axle of either the locomotivetender or one of the cars of a train, whereby all the brakes upon all the cars of a train may be operated simultaneously by the engineer; and it consists of a wheel made fast upon the axle at any point between the two rail wheels, with a disk upon each side of said wheel so arranged that said disks shall retain their position close to said wheel, but are not rigidly secured to the axle, and do not revolve with it. These disks have an annular channel or groove upon the inside next the wheel, in which are placed any desirable number of one end of each gib being in the channel or groove of one disk, and the other end of the same gib being in spring is placed in each channel or groove beneath the ends of all the gibs, which operates to force all the gibs outward toward the cir-- cumference of the channel or groove. Each gib has a longitudinal rib upon its outer surface, so that the brake-chain will more readily adhere to the gibs, and, as thus arranged, the gibs, which are a little distance apart, form a drum, the edges of the side plates or disks forming a flange on each side; and this drum is capable of being made. a little smaller in diameter by pressing the gibs toward the axle. A chain, one end of which is secured to a spool or shaft within the reach of the engineer, is wound around this drum formed by the gibs, and extends along beneath all the cars of the train, passing around the pulleys of an equalizing-lever attached to the bottom of each car, and the end of the chain is attached to the rear end of the last car on the train. The equalizing-lever may be made in two parts, being jointed together in the middle, and a pulley or sheave is pivoted in the lever near each end. The chain passes around one pulley or sheave, thence lengthwise the lever to and around the pulley or sheave at the other end, and thence on to the next car, and so on.

That others skilled in the art may be able to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and mode of operation.

In the drawing, 0 represents one of the axles and wheels of a car, which, for the operation of this device, I prefer should be one of the axles of the tender, and to which is secured the friction device, which is shown more fully in Figs. 2 and 3, and which consists, first, of a wheel, I, attached firmly and securely to the axle C, so as to revolve with the axle, and this wheel I prefer should have a groove in its periphery, as shown clearly at t,

and upon each side of said wheel I is a plate or disk, F, so secured to the axle O as to turn freely thereon, and these disks maybe kept close to the wheel I by means of a collar, h, outside each disk. Upon the face of each disk F which is next the wheel I is made an annular recess or channel, 0, into which are placed the ends of the gibs or friction-pieces n, as shown in Fig. 3. The gibs, as they are in position in the channel 0, form a drum, whose diameter is nearly equal to the extreme diameter of the annular channel 0, and when,

periphery of said wheel.

in such position these gibs are a little distance apart, and the annular channel 0 is of sufficient width upon the face of the disk to permit the gibs n and springs s to be forced in toward the axle until the inner face of the gibs presses against the periphery of the wheel I. If the said wheel I be grooved upon its periphery, the friction-surface between the gibs and wheel will be increased in a degree corresponding to the shape of the groove.

In the drawing I have shown a V-shaped groove; but the device mighthave sufficient friction if the periphery of the wheel I were of cylindrical form, and the inner face of the gibs of corresponding form to fit properly the I prefer,however, to make the wheel grooved. The placement of the gibs in the groove or channels 0 at a little distance apart permits said gibs to be pressed in toward the axle the required distance without being crowded together. Upon the outer surface of each gib is made a rib, n, extending lengthwise the gib, so that a chain wound around the drum formed by the series of gibs may more positively adhereto the gibs, and operate to force the whole series inward toward the axle. The position of the ends of the series of gibs in the annular channel or groove 0 of the disks F and the circular spring 3 inside is plainly shown in Figs. 2 and 3. E represents a spool or shaft, which is intended to be located in the cab of the engine, within easy reach of the engineer, and may be of any desired form, to which is attached one end of a chain, and said chain'extends from this spool or shaft back to the rear end of the hindmost car in the train, and is then secured.- This chain passes, say once, around the drum of gibs a, as shown in Fig. 1, and passes around the pulleys of an equalizing-lever attached to the bottom of each car in the train, with sufficient slack to permit the train to be lengthened out to its fullest extent without pulling upon the chain in the least. The equalizing-lever is shown in Fig. l as attached to the bottom of a car, andin side view in Fig. 7, in which 6 is the lever, which is made in two parts, and is jointed at or near the middle, both parts swinging upon the pivot t, by which it is secured to the car, and each part hasa hole, as, therein,into which is pivoted a sheave or pulley, and when secured to the car a spring, f, keeps each part of the lever in its proper position, and when in its position upon the car the chain passes from the drum formed by the gibs around one of the pulleys or sheaves we in the lever, thence to the other end of the lever around the other pulley or sheave, and thence to the lever upon the next car, and so on, and is attached to the rear end of the lastcar.

In practice the plates or disks F would be easier attached. in position to the axle, by making each plate or disk in two halves, each half having a flange thereon, and bolting these two halves together through the flanges, as

shown clearly in Fig. 4. The brakes are connected to the brake-levers in any convenient manner, and the brake-lever a of one truck is connected to one end 0 of the equalizing-lever 6, and the lever a of the other truck is connected to the other end 0 of the lever e.

The operation of my invention is as follows: If the spool E to which the chain 11 is attached be turned so as to tighten the chain sufficientl y to force the gibs into contact with the periphery of the wheel I, the inner face of the gibs fitting well the face or groove of the wheel I, the friction of the said wheel I, which revolves with the axle G, will cause the gibs to have a tendency to revolve with it, and the ribs upon the outer surface of the gibs Wlll pull upon the chain the whole length of the train, and will operate upon all the brakes of the train simultaneously. All the power necessary for the engineer to exert is to wind up the chain, or wind up its slack sufficiently to press the gibs n in upon the wheel I, when the said wheel I then becomes the power to operate and apply all the brakes of the train. If the operator finds the train stopping too quickly he turns the spool E in the other direction, allowing the chain to unwind, and as the chain thus unwinds the spring 8 inside the ends of the gibs uncoils or springs outward, and forces the gibs awayfrom the wheel I, and as the friction is thus removed the brakes cease to operate.

The engineer can easily control the spool E, so that just the right amount of friction can be applied, and for any length of time desired.

If the gibs should become worn out by the friction it will only be necessary to loosen one of the collars h, move one of the plates F away from the wheel I a little, and take out such of the gibs as may be worn and unserviceable, and supply new ones instead. The two plates or disks F may be secured in close proximity to the Wheel I by any convenient means other than the collars h without departing from the principle of operation of the de vice.

In the practical operation of my invention the friction-wheel I always revolves with the axle, but the gibs would not revolve, being kept stationary by the chain H, and the plates or disks F might revolve somewhat a part of the time from any extra occasional friction; but it is immaterial whether they revolve or not.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

A friction device for railway-train brakes consisting of the wheel I, plates or disks F, gibs n, and springs s, all arranged upon the axle O, and operated by the chain H, substantially as described. a DUANE T. PERKINS.

Witnesses:

T. A. Gnarls, M. L. BOYNTON. 

